Suominen produces nonwovens. We are part of the manufacturing industry but we don’t exist just to make things. Our purpose is also to develop nonwovens and expand their possibilities. We make nonwovens better.

Suominen has two business areas: Convenience and Care. Although the scope of their operations might be different today, they nevertheless share many megatrends, raw materials, technologies and employee capabilities. Moreover, the product features may often be similar – after all, nearly all our products eventually touch human skin.

Sustainability stems from the business and ultimately supports the business. It cannot be reduced to reporting or charity activities. Instead, it involves, e.g., developing more responsible products, which our customers and end users crave. That is the way we see it.

Suominen has two business areas: Convenience and Care. Although the scope of their operations might be different today, they nevertheless share many megatrends, raw materials, technologies and employee capabilities. Moreover, the product features may often be similar – after all, nearly all our products eventually touch human skin.

Biggest global trends evolving healthcare, part 2

4. Prevention of hospital-acquired infections

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) constitute a massive global challenge and hundreds of millions of patients suffer of them every year. HAIs are often connected to surgeries but there are also other circumstances where human skin is injured and infection may occur. Bedridden people, for instance, may suffer of pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, which are caused by prolonged pressure to skin, especially over shoulders, hips and other bony areas.

The cleanliness and condition of skin has a major effect on the development of pressure ulcers.

In surgeries, the appropriate use of drapes, gowns and surface cleaning with disinfectant wipes contributes to prevention of HAIs. Outside the operating room, proper skin care is essential since the cleanliness and condition of skin has a major effect on the development of pressure ulcers. This concerns especially fragile and papery skin which has to be cared without irritating or stretching the skin, preferably with wipes made of very soft nonwoven, such as FIBRELLA®.

5. Transdermal patches

As we learned above, injuring skin exposes to infections and therefore using a needle to deliver drugs is not the best option. Instead, non-invasive drug delivery, which does not involve swallowing either, is preferred. Transdermal patches that are put on the skin to deliver the medicine into the bloodstream are the best examples of products in this category. Although patches may seem like a trade-off when compared to needles and pills, they are not. Instead, they are as effective.

Nicotine patches are probably the best known products utilizing transdermal delivery. New products, however, are entering the market and they vary from hormonal to vitamin supplement patches and painkillers in the form of patches. This illustrates the vast possibilities of transdermal patches. Today, they are most common in the United States but the demand is picking up speed all over the world. For nonwovens, this creates a huge possibility, since they could be used as components in patches. Thanks to their textile-like feel, nonwoven patches would be much more comfortable to use than conventional patches.

6. Sustainable healthcare

Sustainability is a massive megatrend which extends also to healthcare. From the social perspective of sustainability, availability of sufficient healthcare services to everyone is a big challenge and on the economic side, the cost of healthcare for an individual is something that puzzles societies. The environmental aspects should not be forgotten either.

For instance, manufacturing and transporting all the products needed by the healthcare sector consumes water and causes emissions but with advanced production technologies and smart supply chain management, negative impacts can be reduced. In this matter, local manufacturing of goods is the key solution which not only helps fight climate change but also reduces transportation expenses. Another beneficial procedure is, of course, to use less natural resources in manufacturing and favor renewable raw materials, preferably certified raw materials.

15% of healthcare waste is considered hazardous.

One of the biggest environmental issue in healthcare is the waste that the facilities produce. There is a lot of it and much effort is put into reducing the amount of waste but healthcare cannot go zero waste due to disposable medical fabrics being such a critical need. Actually, it is not the quantity but the quality of the waste that constitutes the big problem. According to the WHO, 15% of healthcare waste may be infectious, toxic or radioactive and is therefore considered hazardous. It must be disposed and destroyed safely, something that is difficult to accomplish if the awareness is lacking and waste management equipment is inadequate.